The voluntary order of CyberSpace is based upon common courtesy and an understanding and acceptance that there will be many viewpoints and needs that will be different from one’s own. In a truly multicultural environment, it is best to remember the two main rules of FidoNet and the BBS community (the first publicly accessible enclaves in CyberSpace):
There are, however, rumors, fears, and misinformation about the Internet and CyberSpace that continue to propagate, mainly by those who take only a cursory look. I find it unfortunate that some mass-media reports of pedophilia, virtual-rape, and bomb making in CyberSpace show a lack of journalistic integrity and a sensationalistic style usually reserved for National Enquirer type publications. By digging a little deeper, and not taking anomalies or isolated instances as being indicative of trends, limitations, or cultural mores, certain issues become apparent.
The Internet is a tool, a technology, and a social structure that is helping to define the culture of CyberSpace as the largest of the CyberSpace communities.
The Internet is a distributed system, that is, there is no central location, no home office. No one owns the Internet, you can’t buy a piece of it, but you can participate in and use the world’s largest shared community resource. The ‘net is a functioning, growing anarchy, although some prefer to use the term neo-democracy.
Traditional media won’t be displaced by electronic publishing anymore than cable has replaced network TV or video has replaced movie theaters. Each medium play a role that fulfills a need at different times in different situations.
USENET is not the Internet, but merely one of the services available by using the Internet.
The USENET newsgroups are not flame filled forums populated by obnoxious morons who disagree with everything and spread misinformation out of orneryness. And besides, that only describes those who disagree with me :-)
The Internet is not anti-commercial. Using the Internet for marketing purposes is not frowned upon, but wasting shared community resources is. Spam and postage-due marketing are good ways to alienate your prospective market.
The Internet is standardized and extremely well managed considering its scope. Every site has its own system administrator who is responsible for the smooth operation of the site and its network connections. For most problems you can find a number of technically competent people willing to help out.
Internet standards are designed to scale well. As new technologies and new uses of existing technologies become available, the core TCP/IP protocols allow new applications and the necessary changes to the base protocols to be developed. Guidance for this process is provided by the Internet Engineering Task Force and its committees, which are comprised of representatives from the major and minor players in the computer, network, and communications industries.
One of the great ironies of the Internet is that a network that was designed to survive a nuclear holocaust and to provide the communications needs of the surviving elite of the military-industrial community has evolved into the communications medium of the masses in the non-centralized, non-government controlled realm of CyberSpace. Actions from those who think they can invade CyberSpace to control the Internet, or advocate censorship, are seen like any other technical problem on the Internet—people simply route around them.
To which I can only say to the original designers of the ‘net, “excellent design work guys” :-)
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- retief@cyberspace.com -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Good Judgement comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Judgement.
If you aren't able to change your mind, how can you be sure you have one?
-** I know so little, it amazes me how many people know even less. **-
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Questions or comments about these Web pages? Send e-mail to
dave@reststop.net